Second Chance (8 page)

Ryder dismissed that with a wave
of one hand.  “That shit means nothing.  I’m very comfortable and confident in
my aggressive, male prowess.”

Moz slanted him a look while
spooning coffee into mugs.

“Dee swoons every time I even hint
at taking my pants off.”

Without batting an eyelid, Moz poured
hot water into the mugs.

“I don’t have to explain myself to
you two numb nuts.”  Ryder’s gaze zeroed in on Grant.  “What the hell have you
got on your boxers?”

Mouth full, chewing happily, Grant
glanced down.  Bright red boxers with a blue devil right on his donger.  The
devil was holding a blue heart bearing the text
No Blue Balls Here.
 
“Present from my sister.”

“That is not classy, man.”

“Not everyone goes commando.  Zips
are a bitch on the short and curlies.”  He winked at Ryder.  “Unless you trim around
your donger?”

“A real man doesn’t trim.  A real
man is tough.  We let it all hang.”

“Keeps off the flies when he’s
sunbaking nude,” Moz said.

Ryder flipped him the bird.

“And what happened to my CDs?”
Grant demanded.

“Stealth Thief?”

“Not the Stealth Thief.  This has
you written all over it.”

“Oohh.  Did you like the selection
I put in your car?”  Ryder’s eyes gleamed.

“You arsehole.  I had to listen to
wailing shit the whole time I was on my rounds.”

“You’re not very grateful.  I had
to comb through the CDs the girls have to find that stuff.”

“I don’t give a flying fig.”

“Not very appreciative, are you?”

“Where are my CDs?”

Ryder made kissy sounds.  “What’s
it worth?”

“Watching Moz crush you like a
bug.”

“My goodness me, we are a little
sensitive this morning.”

“Moz would enjoy crushing you.”

“Don’t bring Yeti into it.”

“I’ll tell Dee.”

“I am so scared.”

Grant glared.  “I’m your cats’
doctor.”

“Don’t sweat it, doc.  I’ve got
you covered.”

Grant looked at Moz while pointing
to Ryder.  “All yours.”

Bringing the mugs to the table, Moz
dropped into one of the chairs which creaked alarmingly under his muscle-bound
weight but miraculously didn’t collapse.  “Can I bury him out back?”

“Sure.”

“Well, then…”

Ryder rolled his eyes.  “Don’t
fret, fairy princess.  Your CDs are already in your car.”

“Bullshit.  It’s locked.”

“I can pick locks.  By the way,
you really should set your car alarm.”  Ryder tsked.

“Yeah,” Moz agreed.  “Never know
what drongos are hanging around waiting to pick locks.”

Ryder flipped him the bird.

Happy now his CDs were where they
belonged, Grant licked his fingers and opened the second foil packet.  “So,
what’ve you two got planned for the long weekend?”

“House renovating,” Moz replied. 
“Del and I are wallpapering all the rooms this weekend.  If I don’t get a
callout, that is.”

Ryder swallowed a mouthful of hot
coffee.  “Dee’s got the newsagent open this morning, but tonight we’re going
around to Mum’s for tea.  Tomorrow we’re meeting mine and Dee’s family at the
river for a BBQ.  It’s gonna be mayhem.”

Grant figured it would be, both of
them had large families.

“Mum wanted Kirk, Molly and Lily
to come, but the pair of pikers piked out.”

“That’s because they want to just
relax at home,” Moz said.  “Spend time together.  Even Simon and Elissa said
they might just rent some movies and kick back.  Or read.  Maybe garden. 
Whatever they wanted.”

Ryder rolled his eyes.

Personally, Grant thought it
sounded pretty good.  He had today off and if he didn’t get called out Sunday
or Monday, he planned to do the same.

He took another big mouthful of
bacon and egg toasted sandwich and sighed.  Bloody wonderful.

A sound came from the back veranda
and the door swung open.  He turned his head, saw Tam come through the door
holding several plastic bags, and his mouth fell open in surprise.  A piece of
bacon fell out of his mouth onto his chest, slid down, and was snapped up by an
opportunistic Fergus before it even hit the floor.

Unable to say anything with his
mouth full, he could only watch as she dropped the bags onto the kitchen bench
beside him.

“’Morning, fellas,” she said
cheerfully.  “I see you’re up, Grant.  You could have stayed in bed, I didn’t
mind.  Here.”  Picking up the tea towel that had been lying on the bench, she
slapped it against his chest.  “Wipe off that bacon grease.  I’m going to get
the rest of the shopping.”  With that, she walked back out.

His stunned gaze went to Ryder and
Moz.

“Well, hello,” said Ryder.

Moz quirked one brow.

Grant tried to swallow, but the
mouthful was too big, so he could only chew rapidly while trying to talk.  “I
don’t…”
chew chew.

“Now, now.”  Ryder was smirking. 
“No need to find an excuse.”

“I’m not…” 
chew chew. 
“No
idea…”
chew chew
.

“Sure.”

The door opened again, Tam
entering holding more bags which she placed next to the other bags before
disappearing outside again.

Moz pushed to his feet and
followed, Ryder on his heels.  Moz’s face was expressionless but Ryder looked
like the cat that got the cream.

All Grant could do was swallow the
food in his mouth and just stand there, totally flummoxed, the toasted sandwich
forgotten in his hand.

All three came back in with
handfuls of plastic grocery bags which were placed with the others.

Grant looked at the bags that
covered his counter, to Ryder and Moz who resumed their places at the table, to
Tam now unpacking the groceries.  “Tam?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing here?  And why
are you apparently doing my grocery shopping?”

Pausing, she looked at him. 
“Gladys is on holidays.”

“So you, what?  Volunteered?”

She laughed outright.

Still bewildered, Grant looked at
his friends but only got blank looks in return, so he looked back at Tam.

One hand in a bag, her other held a
bottle of milk.  “You really don’t know?”

“Enlighten me.”

“Gladys works for Aunt Maree.  I
work for Aunt Maree.  Gladys is on holidays.  I’m her replacement.”

Good God.  “For the next four
weeks?”

“Is that a problem?’

“Well…no.  I guess.”

A small frown creased her
forehead.  “Look, Dr Wilson, if you don’t want me cleaning your dunny or
washing your unmentionables, just tell me.  I’m sure Aunt Maree can find a
replacement.”

Dr Wilson?
  Uh oh, he’d
offended her.  “Oh no.  No!”  Grant thrust a hand out to pat her arm, forgot he
had half an eaten toasted sandwich in it, and could only gape as a piece of egg
landed on Tam’s neat pink polo shirt right over her generous bosom.  “Oh shit. 
Sorry.  Here.”  Grabbing the tea towel, he shoved it at her.  Only somehow, his
tea towel-covered hand ended up cupping her breast.

He froze.

The silence in the kitchen was
loud, the only sound that of the wall clock ticking.

Grant stared at his hand cupping
that full breast, swearing he could feel the softness even through her shirt
and the tea towel.  So full, so soft, overfilling his palm.  Deliciously so. 
All that softness had warmth trickling languidly through him.  He could just
lean in and -

Slowly, Tam looked down to where
he gripped her breast before slowly looking back up at him.  “I think I can
handle cleaning my own boob off, but thanks anyway.”

Leaping back, he dropped both her
boob and the tea towel like a hot brick.  “Oh
God
!  I’m
sorry
. 
Really!
 
I didn’t mean to - I wouldn’t -”

Catching the tea towel, she calmly
plucked the piece of egg off her shirt - right on top of that deliciously
rounded breast - before giving her shirt a cursory flick with the tea towel. 
“It didn’t stick.”

“Honestly, Tam, I’m sorry.”  Would
she think he groped her deliberately?  “It was an accident, I swear.”  Great,
now he was babbling.

“Relax, Grant, I know.  I wouldn’t
expect anything else.”  Calmly folding the tea towel, she placed it back on the
bench before resuming unpacking.  “Now, I presume you’re okay with me being
your substitute cleaner until Gladys returns?”

Blinking, Grant reined in his
scattered thoughts and drew a deep breath. 
It’s good, it’s fine.  Get a
grip.  Not of her boob. 
“Of course.”

“Then I’m going to pack all this
away and get on with it.  I’ll be gone by one pm.”  She looked at him with
polite inquiry.  “Do you need me to make your lunch?”

“No.”

“Good.”  With that, she continued
unpacking.

Grant glanced at his friends. 
Ryder was almost red in the face with choking back the laughter, while Moz had
a slight twitch to his lips.  He narrowed his eyes at them.  If they started…

He looked back at Tam busily
moving around the kitchen.  Dressed in a pale pink polo shirt, light plain
cotton brown pants and a sensible pair of Mary Janes, her hair up in a bun, she
was the epitome of efficiency.

She also filled out those pants
and shirt really nicely.

“Okay, I better get dressed.”  For
something to do, he shoved the last of the bacon and egg toasted sandwich in
his mouth and walked out.

By the time he’d gotten dressed in
board shorts, an old t-shirt and a pair of thongs, he’d regained both his
equilibrium and his common sense.

Tam was his cleaner, the boob grab
was an accident - albeit a very nice one - and he had Moz and an idiot in his
kitchen to get rid of before the idiot said something Grant would regret.

Back in the kitchen Moz and Tam
were discussing casseroles of all things, while Ryder was patting Gretel who
was sitting on the table at his elbow, his mouth pursed as he contemplated
something which Grant didn’t even want to guess.  Ryder took one look at Grant
and grinned.

Grant narrowed his eyes in
warning.

“Maybe you need to rethink walking
around in your undies when your cleaner is around,” Ryder said.  “Do you do
that when Gladys is here?”

“No.  I did it because Gladys is
away.  I wasn’t expecting a replacement.”

“Huh.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Tam’s eyes
twinkled in amusement.  “It’s all good. I didn’t go blind.”

“Very funny,” Grant said.

“I’m not sure red is his colour,”
Ryder said.  “As for that blue devil?  Uhhh….”

Jesus, he had to get the moron out
of his house.  “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“No.”

Bastard.

Moz obviously took pity on Grant,
standing and grabbing Ryder’s shirt, hauling him out of the chair with ease. 
“You were going to help me pick up all the wallpaper and paste and shit,
remember?”

Not in the least perturbed, Ryder
replied, “No.”

“Well, you were.  Move it.”

“What’s your hurry?”

“The transport yard shuts at
lunchtime.  I need to collect the delivery before then.”

“We’ve still got an hour.  And I
haven’t finished my cuppa.”

A total turd.

Grant grabbed the mug and thrust
it into Ryder’s hand.  “There ya go.  Buzz off.”

Ryder grabbed it in time to stop
it slopping down his shirt front.  “Jesus, you’ve a poor attitude towards your
guests, Wilson.”

“You’re not a guest, you’re an
idiot.”

“I take offence.”

“I don’t.”  Moz propelled him
across the room and out the door.  “Catch you later, Grant.”

“Thanks, mate.”

The sound of laughter drifted
back.  Ryder, that arse, was going to be on the phone to Scott, Simon, and Kirk
first chance he got.  Truthfully, Grant would have laughed, too, if he hadn’t
been the one doing the boob grab and boxer wearing.

Switching his attention back to
Tam, he found himself looking at a very nicely rounded derrière as she bent
over placing things in the fruit and veggie drawer. 
Now, I wouldn’t mind
grabbing a handful of that as well.

A little startled at his wayward
thoughts, Grant folded his arms, cleared his throat.  “I’m sorry about the
boxers.  I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Don’t sweat it.”  Straightening,
she turned around, picking the list off the bench while sliding the reading
glasses onto her nose.

Okay, that was a cute look.  It
gave her a bookish, business-like air.  Sexy librarian kind of thing.  He could
do that.  Do her.  Yeah, she was looking cuter by the minute.

“I see you progressed from orange
balls to blue devil.”  At his blank look, she peered at him over the tops of
the glasses, her eyes twinkling a little.  “The boxers?”

“Oh.”  Realisation hit him. 
“Yeah.  Well, you know, my sister thinks it’s funny to send me gag gifts. 
Those boxers were from her.”

“Uh huh.”  She went back to
checking the list.  “Okay, I’ve got everything on the list that Gladys normally
gets.  If anything is missing let me know and I’ll pick it up for you.”

“I’m sure you’ve got everything.”

“I’m going to hang the washing
out, then vacuum and mop.  That’s it until Tuesday.”

He couldn’t miss the fact that
she’d gone from friendly to businesslike.  He preferred the friendly.  “Thanks
for filling in for Gladys.  I appreciate it.”

She studied him for several
seconds.

He met her gaze levelly.

A flicker of warmth filled her
eyes, a small smile curving those lush lips.  “Thank Aunt Maree, she arranged
it.”

He smiled in return.  “I’ll do
that.” 

“I better get started.  I have a
lot to do.” 

“Okay.”  He nodded.  “I’ll be
around if you need me.”

She nodded back and walked past
him out the door, turning into the laundry.

Scratching his head, Grant looked
at Gretel.  “Okay, this is a turn up for the books.”